Leading academic criticises Tory proposals (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Leading academic criticises Tory proposals

8:00am Monday 16th November 2009

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Bradford is set to lose out to Leeds in a “law of the jungle”, a leading academic has claimed.

Professor Alan Townsend said Tory proposals to axe regional development agencies – and hand power to town and city halls – would lead to “balkanisation”.

He warned that local councils were simply too small to take key decisions over planning, housing and infrastructure and would run into growing opposition from local people to development plans.

He said: “A law of the jungle would leave disadvantaged communities further behind – Bradford behind Leeds, or deprived ex-coalfield areas behind those with motorway junction – and would serve in the end to deny the very sense of responsibly which looks after ‘broken Britain’.

“Present local authorities are inappropriately small to embrace concrete strategic issues.”

The fierce criticisms follow Tory pledges to scrap regional development agencies (RDAs), such as Yorkshire Forward, and create council-led ‘local enterprise boards’, charged with winning investment and jobs.

Under the party’s “localism” agenda, regional spatial strategies (RSSs) – through which unelected regional assemblies decide 15 to 20-year housing, development and transport strategies – would also disappear.

The Conservatives insist the changes would bring decision-making under proper democratic control, arguing that the RDA and other regional quangos are answerable to no one.

In response, Bradford Council’s Conservative leader, Councillor Kris Hopkins, said: “Bradford is a metropolitan district – it takes a very proactive role in both West Yorkshire and Yorkshire and the Humber.

“What I am concerned about with RDAs is the cost and bureaucracy associated with that. Decision-making is taken away from elected representatives to an unelected quango.

“I am not sure how much it costs to administer RDAs but taxpayers are thinking about council services being cut.

“However, savings can be made without damaging front-line services and I will be supporting that.”

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